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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26210767">Transmissions</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/iminterstellar/pseuds/iminterstellar'>iminterstellar</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Set on the Stars [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Monsta X (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Space, Future Fic, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, engineer!kihyun, scientist!changkyun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:40:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26210767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/iminterstellar/pseuds/iminterstellar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Once you had the power to effect monumental change, would you let fear consume? Or would you overcome?</p><p>The year is 2044 and three years have passed since aspiring astrologer Im Changkyun was mysteriously deemed lost in space during a solo venture gone wrong. It seems plausible to the general public, but to Yoo Kihyun, there's something else going on behind curtains of black matter. People don't just vanish after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Set on the Stars [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903546</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. First Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Transmission received... now loading</p><p>Encryption: complete</p><p>Authorization code: xxxxxxx accepted</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Right ascension: 17 57 48.49803</p><p>Declination: +04 41 36.2072</p><p>Center frequency: 8 415 000 000</p><p>Bandwidth: 100 000 000</p><p>Signal connection: stable</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>"Entering the dark zone... send the transmission."</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Cascading waves of change, the future, the things we think to be inconsequential, can affect the future unintentionally.  Once you had the power to effect monumental change, would you let fear consume you? Or would you overcome it? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> We sent a message into the past, a warning of man's imminent demise. We have that message. The following was inspired by that message, though this story is not inevitable, and a society does evolve- </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> We can change our fate </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We can change the future </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We can change the <strong>past</strong></em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>On February 11, 2020 it was revealed to the world the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping, or CHIME for short, had been receiving mysterious radio signals from space, repeating every 16 days. The first fast radio burst (FRB) was detected on April 18, 2013 by Dr. Stephen Browning at the Allen Telescope Array. While the first publications were made in 2016 by Dr. Aston Wise who worked alongside Browning, the claims were brushed off as science fiction.</p><p> </p><p>What is a FRB you ask? A FRB is an explosion that happens in space, FRB are very bright and only last for a few seconds at a time. FRBs had only been captured a few times before this peculiar discovery, but for the first time: astronomers had captured the afterglow and had been able to find its source for the first time. It was traced to a galaxy six billion light years away. It’s still unknown what exactly causes an FRB.</p><p> </p><p>Mysterious radio signals have been known to repeat, but for the first time the signal bursts have been traced back to the same single source half a billion light years away from Earth. Between September 16, 2018 and October 30, 2019, astronomers and researchers with the CHIME / FRBP detected a pattern of bursts that occurred every 16.35 days. Over the course of four days, the signal would release a burst or two every hour before going silent for another 12 days.</p><p> </p><p>While other FRBs have been traced and documented, they have never been transmitted from the same source. What sets this FRB apart from the rest is not only that it is repeating and being transmitted from the same source but also that it was detected in 1911 by Nikola Tesla at Wardenclyffe Tower on April 18.</p><p> </p><p>On May 6, 2024 it was once again revealed to the world the signal’s history as well as its contents. A warning for humanity of the present, the future, and the past. In the past, the signal has been safeguarded by the Starset Society under the project Prox Transmission, but now it’s time for the world to learn the truth about this mysterious signal that has baffled space fanatics and the world as a whole. The signal’s origin?</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Human.</b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i know it's not officially fall yet but 2020 isn't real so after promptly calling my best friend old since it's her birthday i decided to upload this cause time isn't real</p><p>ch1: sept 23</p><p>twt: whoami_mp3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Down With The Fallen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An empire begins to fall, promises are broken, lies and half-truths are told all lit under the embers of burning bridges</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Prox 2044</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The beeping of medical equipment filled the quiet bunker as Changkyun began to slowly wake up. Every quarter he had to do this bullshit: sleep tests, lung tests, muscle tests, you name it and he had to do it. <em> It's been three years, Aston, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. </em></p><p> </p><p>Detaching all the equipment he was hooked up to during his sleep test, Changkyun dropped the wires on the floor haphazardly before pushing the machine away. He'd put it away later, it was too early for him to care.</p><p> </p><p>Rolling off his cot, Changkyun groaned hitting the floor, blankets falling on top of him. Stupid cot, stupid wellness tests, stupid Fec Terra research bunker, and stupid Aston Wise giving him this stupid assignment. All this bullshit because he had to isolate himself since Aston refused to let him leave the Society, ugh.</p><p> </p><p>"It's for your own protection!" Changkyun mocked Aston in his head. He knew if he wanted to he could stay in bed all day, but a certain voice in the back of his mind was telling him to get up.</p><p> </p><p>“Life juice. Life juice not stupid.” Changkyun mumbled as he slowly stood up. One of the best scientists and astronomers in the known universe and here he was rolling off a cot in the goddamned year of Prox 2044 on a planet only he inhabited with the voice of a certain engineer living in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>⩤•⩥</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Prox 2040</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“Kihyun!” Changkyun yelled as he ran after the elder, not caring that he was in his uniform. Finally catching up, Changkyun closed the remaining distance between the two of them by tackling the elder to the ground with a vice grip of a hug. "Did you miss me?" The younger asks, eyes shining like the very stars he studied as he lifted himself to make eye contact with Kihyun. </p><p> </p><p>Changkyun wasn't very good with people, but somehow he had managed to keep Kihyun by his side all this time. The two always received odd looks from outsiders but they were used to it by now. </p><p> </p><p>"I'd miss you less if you got off of me-" Chuckling as he stood up, Changkyun grabbed Kihyun's hand and pulled him up as well. Once both were back on their feet, the conversation continued to flow smoothly as they filled each other in on their days.</p><p> </p><p>Kihyun had just gotten back from a two-week-long assignment on Mars. To say Changkyun missed the elder was an absolute understatement. He liked being alone, but not feeling lonely, and when Kihyun was gone, all he ever felt was lonely.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Kihyun," Changkyun called, tone mischievous, taking an extra step to get ahead of the elder before beginning to walk backward. Pulling his black messenger bag to his front he watched as Kihyun raised a curious eyebrow in response. Changkyun nearly tripped over himself as he undid the nylon and black titanium buckle that crossed the carbon fiber and leather bag (all black of course), opening it up. Thankfully he didn’t get one with the stupid flap; otherwise, he would have actually tripped.</p><p> </p><p>Completely stopping in his tracks, Changkyun had unzipped the front pocket before beginning to search through it with no success. Closing it and opening the bigger pocket, he rifled through it for a minute or two until he finally found what he was looking for. Despite knowing Kihyun had stopped and was watching him as he waited, Changkyun didn't feel nervous with the elder's eyes on him.</p><p> </p><p>Taking out the crumpled piece of paper, Changkyun had done his best to flatten it out against his thigh before handing it to Kihyun. Once the paper was in Kihyun's hands, Changkyun closed his bag as they began walking side by side with no explicit destination in mind. Changkyun watched as Kihyun looked at the paper, a thoughtful expression on his face.</p><p> </p><p>"So do you think you can do it?" Changkyun asked with a hopeful tone, poking Kihyun's arm in the process. Hearing a sigh from the other, Changkyun knew he had won, even if just partially.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, first of all: this is the worst thing I've seen you draw and of course it had to be a crumpled blueprint for me to read. Secondly: it's a stretch Kyunnie but I can try, an emulator console made of glass with holographic controls is gonna be hard. I think starting with a tablet will be the safest bet just to see if it's possible in the first place. After that, we can go for the full thing, plus that way I can program all of it onto the same system, like a cloud, which will be easier for you in the long run. It'll take me a while and we might have to tap into your family's money but we'll see what I can do. But first the tablet okay?" From the moment the engineer had begun speaking, Changkyun was enthralled.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t too sure what it was, but every time Kihyun started about whatever he was passionate about, Changkyun had always found himself taking in every word. It didn’t matter if the subject matter wouldn’t normally interest him, because Kihyun <em> made </em>it interesting. Kihyun was the type to make people want to listen to him after all.</p><p> </p><p><em> Maybe that’s why people always love him. </em> Smiling to himself, Changkyun took in the sight of Kihyun’s hair moving softly with the warm breeze only for the other male to hold his hair out of his face in annoyance. <em> Cute. </em></p><p> </p><p>Watching as Kihyun carefully folded the paper, pulling his backpack (a crossbody made of nylon with titanium accents) down, and slipping the paper into the front pocket where Kihyun put all of his important papers. The moment Kihyun’s bag rested on his back once more, Changkyun pulled him into a tight hug with an endless string of "thank you's". He knew his requests were difficult sometimes and almost always a little bit out of the box if not futuristic. However, they both knew the future was never going to wait for them. Always striving to push each other forward into and over their limits to see what they were truly capable of. It was this mindset that made the duo academically acclaimed--one the top-ranked student and the other the top seventh. </p><p> </p><p>Slipping out of his uniform jacket, Changkyun left his undershirt tucked in and he rested the jacket on his back. Compared to other school uniforms he had worn, this one was probably his personal favorite. It was a storm-cloud grey with fitted pants and a jacket that had a carbon-fiber stripe that was slightly offset towards the right side which acted as a zipper. It went from the shoulder to the hem of the bottom of the pants and over the left breast where the school’s logo was, the top half of a star’s outline separated from the bottom half with the middle of the bottom missing. A symbol of how they would never be able to map the endless starry skies and whatever could lie beyond them. </p><p> </p><p>All the carbon fiber was supposed to serve as a reminder that everything is made of it and that people are born from stardust. Some people hated both the idea and the constant reminders, but Changkyun loved it. He had always secretly believed that people came from stardust after all.</p><p> </p><p>After agreeing on lunch, Changkyun and Kihyun began heading towards one of the cafes on campus, their bodies more than familiar with the walk. The closer they got, the more distinct the sound of soft jazz music accompanied by sweet-sounding female voices began to fill the air. </p><p> </p><p>“I feel I love you, oh I love you, oh I like you, do I know you? Oh, I like you, maybe you’ll feel it.” Tuning the song out after the chorus had passed, Changkyun found himself naturally looking towards Kihyun, <em> huh. </em> Opening the door, he waited for Kihyun to enter before entering himself.</p><p> </p><p>The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air: Changkyun had inhaled deeply before humming happily, already knowing what he was going to order. “Life juice, delicious.” Hearing Kihyun chuckle softly next to him, he found himself chuckling as well. They really were an interesting pair.</p><p> </p><p>They sat at one of the outdoor tables after ordering their food and coffees, and soon Kihyun was pulling out a set of jet-black playing cards with a very minimalistic design. Raising an eyebrow in interest, Changkyun leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“What game shall I kick your ass in today, Mr. Yoo? War, slapjack, golf, spit, speed, blackjack? I could keep listing games.” Changkyun watched in silence as Kihyun smoothly shuffled the deck and began dealing the cards. When he was finished, the elder had smacked the rest of the deck in the middle of the table before giving Changkyun a challenging glare.</p><p> </p><p>“For someone SO smart Im, you’re wrong. We’re playing something much, much harder.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bring it on Yoo I’ll kick your ass in any game and you know damn well I will. What’s our score currently again?” Taking a moment to pretend to think, Changkyun feigned a moment of realization. Truth was, he was always keeping score, ever since they started this friendly competition when they were kids. “Oh yeah, that’s right 513 to 920, ME!”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t get too confident, now you might regret it.” Kihyun stated as he grabbed his cards off the table, leaning back in his chair confidently. Changkyun had watched Kihyun carefully as he grabbed his own cards before leaning back once more.</p><p> </p><p>“So Mr. Im, do you have a seven?” Kihyun asked in a  stern and serious voice as he shot Changkyun a deadly glare.</p><p> </p><p>Holding in his laughter, Changkyun did his best to respond just as viciously. “Go fish Mr. Yoo.”</p><p> </p><p>A little bit of time had passed before their number was called, Kihyun standing to get it but not before putting his cards into his pocket. Feeling the warm spring breeze, Changkyun closed his eyes and let his mind clear of all thoughts. Sitting and enjoying the moment wasn’t something he could do often but moments like these were always his favorite.</p><p> </p><p>Between the card games and nursing coffee, the duo completely lost track of time and the sun was beginning to set. Clearing their table, Changkyun got rid of their trash and waited for Kihyun to finish packing the cards. Once both were all set and ready to leave, they pushed in their chairs and started for the dorms, the air between them filled with comfortable conversation.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh Kihyun," Changkyun smirked as he got a curious hum in response. "It's 514 to 926 now." He finished with a devilish tone. Feeling Kihyun punch his upper arm playfully, Changkyun whined as it began to sting. "Loser." He mumbled, not expecting the engineer to hear it.</p><p> </p><p>Feeling Kihyun's glare on him, Changkyun glanced over his shoulder before running off, Kihyun chasing after him.</p><p> </p><p>As they were approaching the dorms, they had stopped chasing each other. Hands on their knees, trying to catch their breath as they stared at one another in an attempt to be serious. Not knowing who broke first, they were both laughing at each other as they started walking the rest of the distance.</p><p> </p><p>Making eye contact with one of the girls out of a small group that had passed by him and Kihyun, Changkyun felt a shiver go down his spine. They were always so intimidating, there were only four of them but somehow they were all over the school. Matthew, Taehyung, Somin, and Jiwoo.</p><p> </p><p>Changkyun had been friends (more like acquaintances) with someone who knew them once. His name was Hoseok, he and his boyfriend Hyunwoo had been a part of some sort of club with Matthew once. Changkyun didn’t really understand it since all they did was work out together and call themselves the Big Tittie Committee, or something like that.</p><p> </p><p>The four of them were like wild cards and it kind of freaked him out. He was starting to wonder if any of them had ever gotten into fights with people outside of their group (if they did they most definitely won). Looking forward with a thousand-yard stare, his thoughts going into the drain about those four together, Changkyun was suddenly pulled to the other side of Kihyun and away from the group.</p><p> </p><p>“Kyunnie we’ve gone over this, no they won’t beat the shit out of you, and yes they’ve gotta be in some sort of polyamorous relationship. Besides-” Feeling Kihyun wrap his arm around his shoulders, Changkyun looked at the ground in an attempt to hide his growing blush.</p><p> </p><p>“You have me to protect you and I always will.” Changkyun nodded in response, too shy to look Kihyun in the eye or give some sort of witty response. He hoped one day he could get over these stupid feelings. Maybe it was just an infatuation and nothing more since they only started appearing during the last few weeks. If it was something more, he knew it would take light-years of distance between them to get over the feelings. Changkyun liked what they had now, it was comfortable and safe and that was all he needed.</p><p> </p><p>⩤•⩥</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Prox 2041</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>A little over a year had passed now and the end of the school year was rapidly approaching ready for the next cycle to start. Allowing a yawn to escape his lips, Changkyun covered his mouth out of habit, tired already with the thought of their final school year being just on the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>Boots dully thudding against the stone tile of the courtyard, Changkyun took off his jacket, draping it over his bag as he made his way down the stairs more than ready to pass out. Finals were less than two weeks away and even if he was the top student and almost untouchable (rightfully so, even if he was just a third-year), he couldn’t stop himself from always going the extra mile when it came to studying.</p><p> </p><p>“One more year, one more fucking year…” Changkyun yawned out, covering his mouth once more as he raised a defeated but prideful fist into the air. Checking the watch on his wrist, a small deeply colored pinkish-purple hologram showed the time with the current weather conditions behind it (clouds slowly moving before dissipating). Just below the face, a message notification from Kihyun was displayed in the same pink-purple hue on the black titanium band. <em> The more I think about it, the more I realize just how much this school cares about how well we look. " </em>Wait… why do I even care?" Chankgyun vocalized as he ran a hand down his face in defeat.</p><p> </p><p>“How the fuck is it only 22:37 this is bullshit, I shouldn’t be this tired already.” Dropping his head, he lifted it again moments later thankfully seeing the dorms come into view. He thought about responding to Kihyun’s message, but he was going to be in the dorm in a few minutes anyway. Plus he didn’t have any sort of energy to pull out his phone, even if it was made entirely of glass minus the titanium edges.</p><p> </p><p>Once he was at the dorm building, Changkyun held his wrist up to place the watch onto the security scanner. Hearing a pleasant beep followed by a green light, Changkyun opened the door and let it slam shut behind him. He didn’t have a single care in the universe right now, all that mattered was finding out what Kihyun wanted and then going to bed.</p><p> </p><p>Once in their room, Changkyun untied his boots and haphazardly kicked them off in the general direction of “yeah that’s close enough to my bed, that’s a problem for Monday-Me”. He was more than ready to collapse onto his bed as he let his bag and jacket fall to the floor in a pile. Whining as he felt a soft hand on his neck, he fell onto his bed ignoring Kihyun entirely.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me sleep Ki, we have the entire weekend.” Changkyun stated into his pillow, not caring he was slowly suffocating.</p><p> </p><p>“Well- then I guess you don’t really need or want this super cool thing I built for you, do you?” Kihyun stated, sarcasm heavily lacing his voice. Not bothering to even turn over, Changkyun held out his hand honestly expecting Kihyun to give it to him just like that. Despite that trick always working for him in the past, it didn’t work this time. Pouting as he turned his head to face Kihyun, he could already feel himself falling asleep until he realized what the other was holding.</p><p> </p><p>Instantly on his feet, Changkyun made grabby hands for it, letting his inner child out. Whispering “gimme” over and over as Kihyun held it just out of reach, Changkyun finally had enough and lunged for it. Successfully grabbing it, he let out a successful laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Now with the device in his hands, Changkyun was in complete awe and he hadn’t even turned it on yet. Touching the black glass, it came to life showing a simplified version of a star map Changkyun had drawn out himself. It was really just lines and dots but he could recognize it anywhere, it was the very first one he drew at the school. Running his free hand over the glass, a part of him couldn’t believe he was actually holding something this badass that Kihyun had built on his own that Changkyun came up with on a complete whim.</p><p> </p><p>“So? Are you gonna tell me about it or what?” Changkyun asked, getting back on his bed and sitting with his back to the wall, crossing his legs without much thought. Feeling Kihyun move towards him, Changkyun moved over slightly to allow room for the other, still awestruck by Kihyun’s creation.</p><p> </p><p>Once the two were seated and comfortable next to each other, Kihyun carefully took the glass out of Changkyun’s hands, much to the astronomer’s despair. Pouting as he rested his head on Kihyun’s shoulder, Changkyun could feel his heart start to slow in content with the situation.</p><p> </p><p>As Kihyun went on to explain the invention, Changkyun found himself getting more and more comfortable just listening to the elder talk as he leaned on him. Nuzzling into Kihyun’s shoulder as he continued talking about the device, moving his hand behind it to show the lack of transparency before moving it a certain way for the glass to become completely transparent.</p><p> </p><p>“So alongside the motion triggers, the 8k display, full touch compatible glass, and the black titanium and meteorite side piece with the manual controls there’s something else you’ll love a lot but we’ll have to go outside for that.” Nodding, Changkyun crawled off the bed and slipped into his slides, sleepily following Kihyun.</p><p> </p><p>Dragging his feet and hiding a yawn as the two made their way outside, Changkyun shivered as soon as he felt the cool night air against his exposed skin. Sure it was June and it was a beautiful night, but he was still in just his school-issued black undershirt (it had the school’s logo, his favorite part, that and it was beyond comfortable) and the uniform pants. Crossing his arms in an attempt to keep himself warm, he looked at the back of Kihyun’s head, staring down the black hair. “This had better be worth it or else I’ll cry.” Changkyun stated, earning a laugh from Kihyun.</p><p> </p><p>“Kyunnie, if it wasn’t worth it, I wouldn’t build it and you know that.” Kihyun called back to the younger, waving the tablet in the air. Watching the moonlight reflect off what seemed like nothing, Changkyun was starting to get excited again with a pretty good idea of why they were outside going through his mind. Uncrossing his arms and taking a few quick strides, he had successfully caught up to the elder, staring at the tablet.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you figure it out?” Kihyun asked, looking at the younger from the corner of his eye as he put the tablet into his backpack.</p><p> </p><p>“I think I have an idea, but it’ll be better the further we are from light pollution so it’s clearer.” Changkyun responded with a quick nod of his head before running ahead. </p><p> </p><p>Shivering slightly, Changkyun crossed his arms once more in an attempt to keep warm. <em> Maybe we should go back. But cool sciencey space stuff. </em>Squeezing his eyes shut as another shiver made its way across his body, Changkyun walked directly into Kihyun's back.</p><p> </p><p>Letting out a small whine, Changkyun crouched down as Kihyun searched through his backpack for something. "Kihyunnie if you're getting the tablet then we should walk a little further, there's still a lot of light pollution…"</p><p> </p><p>Feeling a thick cloth hit his face, Changkyun nearly lost his balance as he stood. Looking at what Kihyun threw at him, Changkyun smiled as he pulled on the hoodie. His favorite one to be exact. "You never change Kyunnie." Hearing the fond statement from Kihyun, Changkyun felt himself going soft even as he heard Kihyun mumble "So forgetful" before pulling on his own sweatshirt.</p><p> </p><p>Putting up his hood, Changkyun rested it just right as the two continued walking further into the night.</p><p> </p><p>After an hour or two of walking, the duo turned back to look at the barely visible school. A smile was on Changkyun’s face as Kihyun waved him over, Changkyun knew the best was coming and he was more than ready.</p><p> </p><p>Tilting his head upwards, Changkyun wondering what was beyond the stars and how far they went, Changkyun felt a tug on his arm before his thoughts could wander further. Looking back down, he made eye contact with a seated Kihyun who had a soft smile on his face. “You’re gonna love this!” The elder exclaimed as Changkyun sat down next to him.</p><p> </p><p>Watching intently as Kihyun pulled off his backpack and intentionally unzipped it as slowly as he could, Changkyun grabbed the sleeve of the engineer's sweatshirt, gently shaking him back and forth whining impatiently. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, okay you win Kyunnie.” Kihyun chuckled as he raised both of his arms in defeat. Giddy with excitement as Kihyun finally pulled out the tablet, it took everything in Changkyun to stop him from grabbing it himself.</p><p> </p><p>Looking up towards the sky once more, Changkyun saw Kihyun lay down out of the corner of his eye. He still wasn’t quite sure what the elder was going to show him on it, but he laid down anyway. Watching Kihyun start up the device, Changkyun inched closer not wanting to miss anything.</p><p> </p><p>Mindlessly watching as Kihyun held it over their heads, free hand moving smoothly across the surface as the black glass blended into the night. Kihyun began moving the tablet slowly from side to side almost as if he was fixing the calibration on it. Unconsciously getting as close as he could, Changkyun gasped when he saw what was displayed on it.</p><p> </p><p>“So- while I already know that you wanted it to be made out of glass to both challenge me and to be a pain in my ass-”</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, I just thought it would look cool and annoy you since you’ve never worked with glass as a base before and no one’s attempted to do anything bigger than phones- anyway I was right… continue.” Changkyun smiled, even after knowingly cutting off the elder.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright Mr. Im “Pain In My Ass” Changkyun, even though the home screen is a star map you drew when we first got here, I figured since you’re always looking up and drawing as many maps as you can when we actually get to go up- I’ll let you figure it out for yourself.” Kihyun handed over the tablet with the star map open, a smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>Once again in Changkyun’s hands, he realized it had a nice weight to it, not too heavy and not too light. <em> Fuck it's perfect </em>. Moving the map around on the glass, it was almost like the sextant he had back in the dorm, except it was an insanely advanced one. The sextant on the tablet already had all of Changkyun’s own personal maps for navigation as well as the ability for him to add and change other maps.</p><p> </p><p>“It operates on the doppler effect instead of mirrors,” Kihyun started as he gently took the device back. “Over here you can see the increasing or decreasing in light, sound, or other wave frequencies as the source.” Kihyun pointed to the top left where a circle with audio waves around it was displayed.</p><p> </p><p>“And on the right side- here, is the observer, A.K.A you- and it shows the distance between the two, also either increasing or decreasing. When it’s moving away or increasing in wavelength the audio circle will turn red, and when the opposite is happening, the audio circle will turn blue.”</p><p> </p><p>“This is amazing Kihyun..” Changkyun breathed out as he watched his own star map move in real-time with the sky. “I honestly don’t know how to thank you enough for this…” Rolling onto his stomach to play with it some more, he began thinking of his family’s observatory. <em> Maybe I do know how to pay him back. </em></p><p> </p><p>It was a 30-meter laser-guided telescope, one of the largest on Earth and possibly something right out of Kihyun’s tech-based wet dreams. Smirking to himself, he considered calling his dad right here and now to ask for permission to bring Kihyun. Deciding to call in the morning, he rolled onto his back once more holding the tablet against his chest. A warm feeling passed through him as the two laid there silently breathing in the chilled night air as worlds passed them by.</p><p> </p><p>⩤•⩥</p><p> </p><p>Sitting in the cafeteria and looking through his calendar, Changkyun took a bite of his sandwich as the monitors all switched to the news. Interest piqued, Changkyun looked to Kihyun who simply shrugged in response.</p><p> </p><p>"I wonder what's going on for all the monitors to show the news like this." Kihyun mumbled before drinking his soup directly from the bowl.</p><p> </p><p>"No idea but whatever happens happens I guess. If it affects us, then we'll simply find a way to deal with it like we always do." Changkyun stated, smiling at Kihyun.</p><p> </p><p>Searching through his backpack for a minute with the intention of working on his astrobiology project. Dropping his head against the table, Changkyun let out a groan.</p><p> </p><p>"Forget your notebooks on your desk again?" Kihyun asked with an uninterested tone as he watched the news.</p><p> </p><p>Nodding against the table, Changkyun let out a sigh of defeat. <em> There goes a couple of hours of sleep. </em> Rolling his head over, he glanced at Kihyun's side profile, feeling his heart stutter. Lifting his head and resting his cheek on his hand, he wondered what it would be like to poke Kihyun's hamster cheeks. <em> Stupid infatuation. </em></p><p> </p><p>Turning his attention to one of the monitors, he half-watched as they talked about some up and coming tech company called New West.</p><p> </p><p>"I've never really questioned it until now, but why <em> do </em>you use notebooks still? Wouldn't just be easier to do everything digitally like everyone else?" Kihyun asked, still watching the news report.</p><p> </p><p>"It probably would be easier, yeah, using notebooks and paper is somehow more grounding. When I was a kid my dad had special made notebooks for me when I started to get into the whole space thing, so it's also nostalgia. On top of that, you can't hack paper." Changkyun half shrugged, he didn't really understand why this specific news report was so interesting. New companies that wanted to try their hand at tech came and went all the time, it was nothing new.</p><p> </p><p>Starting to doze, Changkyun heard a familiar name mentioned. Wide awake and fully alert, Changkyun stood and watched the monitor, mouth agape. Sure enough there they were, shaking hands proudly with the owner of the Free Energy Corporation.</p><p> </p><p>It was like his world stopped, Changkyun watched as the tech deal between the government and the Order was made and finalized on the live broadcast. There were still six years left until the Prox Transmission was initially sent with the details of the future. Humanity’s downfall. For all they knew, this was the start and they were witnessing history. <em> Shit, </em>he knew all too well that this was the start, the stars told him so and the stars never failed him.</p><p> </p><p>Changkyun got up and grabbed his bag before running out of the cafeteria, leaving a shouting Kihyun behind him. Pulling out his phone, he called Aston before he could even catch his breath. When his mentor didn’t answer, he left a very simple answer: <em> it’s starting. </em></p><p> </p><p>When Kihyun finally caught up to him, Changkyun quickly apologized with the phone call as an excuse. He hated all the half-truths and lies he had to force-feed his best friend.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you okay though?" Kihyun asked gently, concern evident in his voice, "You seemed really freaked out, I've never seen you run off like that before because of a news broadcast."</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah it's just, how do I put this-" Rubbing his pulse point nervously, Changkyun tried to figure out how he was going to half-truth himself out of this one. "I've never liked living under our government with the whole "<em> the military IS our government </em>" thing you know?" Changkyun emphasized the middle part with the weird voice he always used while mocking someone or something. "So seeing them make a deal with the largest tech company in the world with a more than sketchy background and history, it freaked me out. I'm sorry for running out like that, but nothing good is going to come of this deal, I just know it." He finished with a sigh before leaning onto Kihyun in a silent plea for a hug.</p><p> </p><p>Feeling Kihyun's arms wrap around him, Changkyun's tension slowly seeped from his body as he returned the hug.</p><p> </p><p>"Whatever happens we'll get through it together. If something is unjust, we'll rebel. You know how I am Kyunnie." Kihyun chuckled with the last bit, slowly moving his hand up and down Changkyun's back.</p><p> </p><p>⩤•⩥</p><p> </p><p>Calling his dad, Changkyun began to get frustrated as his second call was sent to voicemail. Either his dad's phone was on silent, or he was just too busy to pick up. Leaving a message on the third call, Changkyun went back to his contacts and called a driver.</p><p> </p><p>The moment his driver arrived, Changkyun was in the truck buckling his seatbelt and was asking to be taken to the observatory.</p><p> </p><p>Looking out the window as they got closer, Changkyun took in the view of the clouds just below the mountains. It was beautiful and somehow otherworldly. Feeling the truck come to a stop at the hill below the structure, Changkyun gave the driver some cash as well as an estimated finish time.</p><p> </p><p>Walking the rest of the distance, Changkyun pulled out his phone hoping for something from his dad. When nothing showed, his heart fell a little bit. Despite his now heavy heart, Changkyun typed out a quick message, smiling at their old ones as he sent the new one.</p><p> </p><p><em>Me: Dad, are you coming back this year? If you are can you try for between the school cycles so we can spend some time together, Kihyun made me this badass tablet I </em>have <em>to show you</em></p><p>
  <em> The OG: I should be returning sometime in May depending on how things go here, it's not much but it'll be a couple of days at least </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Me: Hurry up then, I miss your face </em>
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  <em> Me: I'm assuming you're just busy with the assignment still, but please call me when you get the chance, I miss you, love you x </em>
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</p><p>Putting his phone away, Changkyun climbed the familiar stairs that led up to the observatory while looking towards the night sky. It was a beautiful midnight blue like his hair with the stars burning bright for everyone to see. He wanted to bring Kihyun here someday, maybe once he took control of his own life and his dad came back.</p><p> </p><p>He always felt so small when he came here, Changkyun knew there was so much more to the universe than just Earth, hell he had seen it. But this always put it into perspective and gave a confirmation rather than just wandering thoughts and speculation.</p><p> </p><p>Unlocking the door with the keycode, Changkyun felt himself physically relax with the familiar beeping of the keypad’s different tones. In his mind, he was bringing Kihyun here for the first time and explaining the entire thing to him. Grabbing his clear plastic lab coat off the hook next to the door, the door slid shut and locked behind him as he continued walking further in with the lights turning on automatically. </p><p> </p><p>Humming to himself, Changkyun began recalling the conversation he had with Kihyun earlier. Something about Kihyun calling Changkyun his favorite nerd and favorite friend. A blush began blooming in his cheeks the more he thought about it. Kihyun wasn't one to give people very many compliments no matter who it was. The elder always said he was saving them for the "best animals" which was every single one they encountered.</p><p> </p><p>Thoughts of Kihyun began swirling around Changkyun's mind as he stopped dead in his tracks, starting up the tablet the older had built for him. The star map began to glow softly as his thoughts came to a sudden halt.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait… Yoo Kihyun you fucking dick, I’M YOUR ONLY FRIEND!” His voice echoed through the telescope for a couple of seconds before fading away completely. “I can’t believe I let you mess with me like that.” He could already hear Kihyun giggling at him in the back of his mind, but no matter how many times the older messed with Changkyun, he never had the heart to stay mad at him. Much less pretend to.</p><p> </p><p>Listening to the soles of his boots colliding with the metal below his feet, his sour mood quickly faded and was replaced with anticipation. Making his way into the control booth, Changkyun began flipping switches, turning everything on as he sat in his favorite chair. Pulling up his music program as everything started up, Changkyun began playing <em> Talking Heads </em>through the surround sound speakers.</p><p> </p><p>Fingers tapping away on the keyboard, a part of him was glad that they never upgraded the telescope to holograms, the clacking of the keyboard somehow made him feel official; like he was doing something great. Pretending to hack into a city’s security system, Changkyun began beatboxing his own theme music as the programs finished starting up.</p><p> </p><p>Once the programs had finished starting up, Changkyun continued humming as he took his tablet out of his bag and connected it to the console. Quickly programming his sextant into the telescope’s database, he projected it onto the screens. Looking at the current display, Changkyun leaned back in his chair crossing his arms thoughtfully. </p><p> </p><p>Finally coming up with a plan for his project, Changkyun began typing coordinates into the telescope. Once Changkyun hit the enter key, the machine began moving almost silently as it followed its commands. </p><p> </p><p>Silent electricity buzzed through the air with the music as Changkyun started up the telescope’s laser-guided system. Watching as all 492 of the mirrors moved in sync to the assigned position; thanks to the sensors and actuators. Every time he was able to use the telescope and witness everything moving and working together, he geeked out a little bit. Even if he had been coming here since he was a kid and has even gone into space; it was still the most amazing thing to him. A 30-meter diameter telescope with 655 square meters of total collecting area was pretty impressive after all.</p><p> </p><p>Taking pictures of a few different star clusters, Changkyun watched as they showed on the screens. “The Hubble could fucking <em> never. </em>Holy shit.” He breathed out, this was another thing that always amazed him: the resolution. It was 12 times sharper than the Hubble’s. Maybe he should start donating some of his pictures to the school.</p><p> </p><p>Getting a call, Changkyun answered it without a second thought figuring it was Kihyun. </p><p> </p><p>"Changkyun-" <em> Not Kihyun. Changkyunnie sad. </em>A part of him had hoped the elder would have called so they could chat as Changkyun took pictures for his project, it would have been more fun that way. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeeeeeees Aaaaaaaston?" He responded as used his feet to kick off the console. Wheeling around the lab in his chair, a pout appeared on his lips before quickly disappearing when he nearly fell over.</p><p> </p><p>"I know that you wanted to leave the society, I was going to tell you that you could when you graduated but now the situation has changed." Rolling towards the hologram monitor, he came (technically) face to face with Aston.</p><p> </p><p>"The fuck do you mean?" Frustration began building in his chest, he wanted to know exactly <em> what </em> had happened to make him hold secrets even longer. They had been discussing his leave for <em> years </em>now, Aston couldn't just take it away like that.</p><p> </p><p>"Your dad, he was taken by the FEC and we're currently unaware of his status, we can't lose you too. We'll be transporting you to an exoplanet to keep you-" With that, Changkyun ended the call. He wanted to blame the elder man so badly but he knew he couldn't.</p><p> </p><p>Falling back into his chair, Changkyun leaned his head back, covering his eyes with an arm as warm frustrated tears made their way down his cheeks. Changkyun knew what he had to do and what was to come. Ever since he was a kid, everyone told him he was destined to be his dad's successor. That destiny was finally reaching him without giving him air to breathe. He was about to lose everything, wasn't he?</p><p> </p><p>After a couple of hours passed, Changkyun finally calmed down and caved, <em> I should call him back and at least apologize. Ashton's a reasonable man, maybe we can come to an agreement </em>. A sad sigh left Changkyun's lips as he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the control console. Dropping his head into his hands, he tried to think of a way he could get out of this. There had to be a way, there always was.</p><p> </p><p>He had been thinking about a way out for the past few hours but was unsuccessful in finding a way out. <em> Why am I doing this to myself? I need to accept it, spending hours thinking isn’t going to get me anywhere. </em></p><p> </p><p>Running his hands through his hair and resting his hands on his neck, Changkyun leaned back and called Aston. He didn’t care if his mentor saw his eyes still red and puffy from crying, Changkyun wanted him to see what they were doing to him, even if it wasn't their intention.</p><p> </p><p>Hearing the dial tone stop, he closed his eyes in an attempt to focus as he let out a shaky breath. <em> I’m not gonna be able to handle this but at least I’ll be able to pretend. Even if it’s just for a moment. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Give me my last two weeks at the school and I’ll do whatever you need me to.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll send a transport to pick you up after the last class day then. It's for your own protection Changkyun, your father is proud of you, I hope you know that.” With that Aston ended the call, leaving Changkyun in metallic silence. Sometimes Changkyun forgot just how caring his mentor is, always willing to accommodate small requests like this without much of a second thought.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t want to spend more time around the school. He wanted to make sure Kihyun wouldn’t miss him when he left.</p><p>
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</p><p>⩤•⩥</p><p> </p><p>A few days had passed and Changkyun the short conversation was still weighing heavy in both his mind and heart. He had turned himself completely cold and closed himself off, every part of him wanted to lean on Kihyun for help but the reality of his situation was stopping him. </p><p> </p><p>They were still following their typical routine, but instead of everything going both ways, Kihyun was the only one taking initiative in their friendship. All Changkyun did was silently follow and pay for their meals whether or not Kihyun liked it. Part of him thought that Kihyun would have brought up how different Changkyun's acting, but the questions never came. </p><p> </p><p>Changkyun had been locked in his head ever since the phone call with Aston with his body running on autopilot. The closer his final day got, the more it felt horrifically real. He wasn't going to graduate or get his diploma. However, he <em> was </em>going to get picked up in the middle of the night before being seemingly killed off to everyone outside of the Society before living on an isolated exoplanet for who knows how long. The latter didn't seem that exciting to him.</p><p> </p><p>He wanted to enjoy what time he could with Kihyun, he really did, but this was something he had to do alone, and the closer it got the more unsure Changkyun was of himself.</p><p> </p><p>When classes had finally ended for the day,  Changkyun realized how his time was becoming more and more limited. Walking silently next to Kihyun as they left the school. They started heading towards their favorite stargazing spot even if it was midday.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn't until they were almost there until Changkyun had realized where they were going. It had been a while since he was like this, a shadow of himself.</p><p> </p><p>Changkyun was unsure of so many different things in his life, but right now the one at the top of that list was Kihyun. Changkyun wasn't sure how to leave the elder, does he tell him everything? Simply leave him behind? Nothing that he came up with seemed like a good option, he should have just left the night Aston called him. <em> It would've been easier. </em></p><p> </p><p>Changkyun began slowing his pace, falling behind Kihyun until he had completely stopped walking. A breeze brushed by as he finally lifted his head, gazing at Kihyun who had noticed that they were no longer side by side. </p><p> </p><p>Changkyun dropped his head the moment he saw Kihyun walking back towards him. He already felt like a failure on top of the constant feeling of betrayal he held.</p><p> </p><p>“Kyunnie, what’s going on?” Kihyun asked gently, kneeling in front of the younger male in an attempt to make eye contact.</p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t do this, shaking his head, Changkyun turned and walked away hoping Kihyun would get the idea. Hearing Kihyun chase after him, Changkyun whipped his shoulder away in faux anger as soon as he felt Kihyun’s hand on it.</p><p> </p><p>"Kihyun I'm tired of always following you around and being your shadow!" <em> That's a lie, I love being around you. You're my sun, maybe I'm your full moon? </em></p><p> </p><p>"All my life I've only ever lived in your shadow and I've never been important to you as you are to me!" <em> Another lie. </em>"I know you're only still around me because you feel bad that no one else can deal with me! I hate that you have to feel bad and pretend for me! Just fucking stop okay!"</p><p> </p><p>As Changkyun continued expressing his "true thoughts and feelings" to Kihyun, he could see the other's face falling further and further, cementing more cracks in Changkyun's own heart. Once Changkyun had finished yelling at the other, he was breathing heavily, as if he had actually been holding all this back. He must have been a good actor because Kihyun looked nothing short of devastated.</p><p> </p><p>“Get away from me and stay away, I don’t need you.” Venomous, even for Changkyun’s standards. It wasn’t often that Changkyun could say that he hated himself, but this time he really did.</p><p> </p><p>“If that’s what you really want Changkyun, at least the school year’s almost over yeah? I don’t know where this is coming from but I’ll always be here for you.” Looking back to the ground, Changkyun curled his hands into fists as Kihyun began to walk away slowly. </p><p> </p><p>“May the bridges I burn light my way.” Changkyun whispered to Kihyun's back as the elder got further away, slowly shrinking on himself. He felt bad but at the same time, he knew he had to protect himself and the Society, even if he was losing his way once more. It's not like he ever had a choice to begin with.</p><p> </p><p>Taking one last look at the elder, Changkyun turned his back as well. The connection and bond was severed with little chance of ever being repaired. It was like shattered glass, sharp, painful, and oddly tragic.</p><p> </p><p>"Goodbye Kihyun." Changkyun whispered. It was barely audible to himself, almost like he didn't say it at all.</p><p>
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</p><p>⩤•⩥</p><p> </p><p>Arriving at his family's telescope one last time, Changkyun went through the motions of starting it up. For the first time, it felt bland to him compared to every other time being filled with excitement and wonder.</p><p> </p><p>Making his way to the main database, Changkyun transferred everything he could onto Kihyun's tablet before wiping everything else. It tasted bitter.</p><p> </p><p>With all the important information on the tablet and the new clear plastic lab coat (a gift from Kihyun) in hand. He walked back to the main control console and put both into his duffle bag that had only contained some clothes just prior. In a few hours, his pick up would be arriving and his existence would be no more.</p><p> </p><p>Changkyun sat in the chair, propping his feet up as he stared at the black screens in silence. Looking over at the sound system, he thought about playing some music but couldn't find the energy to get up and connect his phone. Killing time by going through the notebooks in his messenger bag seemed like a good idea as well, but that would only cause him to rethink his decision again.</p><p> </p><p>Opting to just wait outside, Changkyun stood and grabbed his two bags, putting them on as he took a last look at his safe haven. </p><p> </p><p>Standing outside of the main door, Changkyun programmed a holographic circle lock that would only respond to him. Thinking for a second, he quickly broke the other two locks assuring no one would be able to enter unless they had Changkyun himself. And well, he was about to be very hard to find.</p><p> </p><p>Hours felt like years as he waited on the grass outside of the telescope for his pick up. Sitting on the dewy ground, Changkyun pulled his knees closer to his chest wondering if he made the right call. His mind said he did, but his heart said he should have told Kihyun everything before leaving. Wiping away a tear that had begun to form, he felt lost again and now he had no one to help him find his way.</p><p> </p><p>Hearing a car in the distance, Changkyun stood up with his bags in hand as he walked down the short path to the concealed road. Opening the back door, Changkyun carefully placed his bags inside before climbing in himself.</p><p> </p><p>He didn't care that the truck was military level or that the driver was giving him somewhat special treatment. All he wanted was to go back and hide, which was funny considering his current situation.</p><p> </p><p>After a long day of driving followed by preparations, he stood on the bridge of a small ship with Kihyun nowhere to be found. It felt strange. He kept looking for the other unconsciously expecting him to make a fashionably late appearance. No such appearance came.</p><p> </p><p>Following Kihyun was something he had always done, he had fewer worries that way. Lost in his conflicting thoughts, he gave the pilot a thumbs up as he took his own seat next to the woman he had just met. Apparently she was one of the top pilots stationed on this launch base, he didn't care. At all.</p><p> </p><p>Changkyun thought he had become used to this by now, instead the flipping of switches and roaring of the engines felt too loud in his ears giving him a headache. He wanted to snap at the pilot but he didn’t have the energy to. This journey was only just starting and he already felt depleted.</p><p> </p><p>Once they broke Earth’s atmosphere, Changkyun looked to the planet now below him searching for Korea. Getting further and further away, he continued searching through the darkness for some light but instead all he found was a sea of shadows.</p><p> </p><p>The pilot began explaining her plan on getting Changkyun to Fec Terra, an exoplanet, under everyone’s radar. Looking down at his lap, he played with his hands as the pilot continued speaking.</p><p> </p><p>“No one will be able to find you except for us, and even then, it will only be when you ask us to.” A tear rolled down his cheek as he nodded, drowning out the pilot’s voice as she continued onto something about supply drops. <em> Kihyun, I’m sorry. </em></p><p>
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</p><p>Engine failure. Lost in space. Blackbox and comms are unresponsive. There was no way this could be real, Kihyun stared at the large monitor in the common room that was showing the news. Nothing about it felt right, sure Changkyun had a habit of taking walks at night with his telescope, but never anything like this. Even then, whenever he went into space, it was always with Kihyun as his pilot.</p><p> </p><p>With a single tear slowly sliding down his cheek, Kihyun refused to wipe it away as a lone thought crossed his mind. <em>Changkyun you idiot. </em>Making his way outside and into the slowly falling rain, he had no destination in mind. His thoughts, however, began traveling down a thorny path.</p><p> </p><p>He felt like an asshole for ignoring just how differently the younger had been acting across the past couple weeks. Even when he did ask what was wrong, Changkyun had just avoided him, he should have pushed harder, maybe Changkyun would still be here with him if he did.</p><p> </p><p>Looking to the sky, he somehow believed that if he looked hard enough, or for long enough, he could spot Changkyun’s ship among the stars. If he really was lost, Kihyun knew the astronomer was exactly where he wanted to be.</p><p> </p><p>Sitting on the wet ground, Kihyun crossed his legs and let the rain fall on him. Regrets had already begun to settle in his heart as quickly as the rain started coming down. Even if there was rain falling in his heart, there was also an ember of hope.</p><p> </p><p>Changkyun didn’t say goodbye. If you didn’t say goodbye then you weren’t really gone, you just weren’t there at the moment. It was something they had promised each other when they were kids, and even now they still kept it.</p><p> </p><p>Kihyun knew Changkyun would tell him not to hold on, that Changkyun just wanted him to be free. “But, I want you here with me…” Kihyun whispered into the freezing rain as his warm tears began to fall as well. He would follow Changkyun as long as he lit their way, and now his light was lost in the sea of shadows.</p><p> </p><p>Falling on his back, his tears began to slow as he forced himself to start thinking rationally. There were so many things that didn’t make sense. Changkyun acting so cold before suddenly lashing out at him, as well as seemingly vanishing. With today’s technology, people didn’t just vanish, it was an incredibly hard feat that couldn’t be accomplished alone.</p><p> </p><p>Sure Changkyun wasn’t the greatest pilot in the universe, but Kihyun had taught him some basic stuff and he knew Changkyun could very easily think himself out of any situation. Chuckling to himself, a fond but miserable smile appeared on Kihyun’s face before disappearing once more. “You may be ranked number one at the top school on Earth for this sciencey space stuff, but you’re still a loveable dumbass aren’t you?” <em> Book smart, life dumb. </em></p><p> </p><p>After laying in the downpouring rain for a little bit longer, Kihyun made a promise to himself that he would never break. He would search through all the darkness below and above until he found his light once more. Even if Kihyun was far from the younger right now, he would never abdicate, fighting forever until he found him.</p><p> </p><p>Getting up with renewed energy, Kihyun knew he was the only one worthy of taking Changkyun’s position. He was already at rank seven without putting in much effort, number one should be easy. Once he had number one, he could go anywhere in the universe he wanted to. Already planning it out, Kihyun stood before making his way to the dorms with a strong determination.</p><p> </p><p>After a quick shower and changing into dryer clothes. Kihyun grabbed one of Changkyun’s unused notebooks as well as his used ones. While grabbing all the notebooks he could find (even searching for some in odd places), Kihyun noticed that both of Changkyun's bags were gone, something that didn't make sense.</p><p> </p><p>Turning on his desk light, he searched through everything the younger had written down during their time at the school. Changkyun was right, using paper was somehow more grounding.</p><p> </p><p>Starting with a "known vs unknown" page, Kihyun began jotting down everything he knew followed by all the questions he had.</p><p> </p><p>With a few pages full of notes, Kihyun was finally on the last notebook that he had found after searching through everything the younger left. The sun began to rise and their coffee machine automatically started brewing coffee. Looking back at the machine, Kihyun chuckled to himself before shaking his head slightly. “Thanks, Kyunnie.” The younger may be forgetful about quite a few things, but coffee was never one of them.</p><p> </p><p>Looking back at the notebook, it was the only one that wasn’t clearly marked with some sort of subject, just a picture of an atom with six disconnected orbit fields inside a double octagon, underneath it in a small but bold print were the letters I:S::K:F.</p><p> </p><p>Kihyun already had a few questions about it, starting with why it was the only one that was hidden. Copying the logo down in his own notebook, Kihyun began skimming through it as he stood up to get his coffee.</p><p> </p><p>The first page was filled with planet coordinates as well as names of certain star systems. Changkyun was a forgetful type so none of this information really surprised him. Flipping through a few more pages, the further he got the less sense it started making. Coordinates, planets, star systems, and even galaxies that Kihyun didn't instantly recognize. Somehow it was a little concerning.</p><p> </p><p>Despite Changkyun's messy nature, the younger had somehow managed to keep his notebooks neatly organized and easy to understand, but this one stood out from the rest. It was organized, yes, but it also made no sense to Kihyun by the time he had almost finished looking through it.</p><p> </p><p>Dropping the notebook, Kihyun mumbled to himself as he picked it up. The light reflected just right to show digital text on the inside of the back cover the notebook that blended in damn near perfectly:</p><p>
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</p><p>Im Changkyun, son of founder Im Seulong</p><p>Second generation member</p><p>Astrology science expert</p><p>Security clearance: high</p><p>Priority level: phase four</p><p>Location: uncharted</p><p> </p><p>Ignorance:slavery::knowledge:freedom</p><p>We are the sentinels of the truth</p><p>
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</p><p>“Who are you?” Kihyun whispered as he watched the words phase four change to phase one.</p><p> </p><p>⩤•⩥</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Prox 2044</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>That's how he ended up here on this deserted planet, researching and studying not only the stars but time as well. The past, present, and future. </p><p> </p><p>He missed the Kihyun more than anything else on Earth. Sometimes he wished that he had never left but at the same time he knew he was one of the few people that was capable of doing his work. Whatever was coming was so much more, so much bigger than the two of them, even if it made his heartache.</p><p> </p><p>On top of that, his dad was still missing. Even after three years, no one had heard or seen anything of him that would confirm he was still alive. There wasn't even speculation.</p><p> </p><p>The radio silence only urged him on, to keep improving, and to keep discovering. He knew his dad was already proud of him but Changkyun still couldn't let him down. </p><p> </p><p>Leaving his bunker with the hope of clearing his thoughts. He walked mindlessly for a few minutes before finally sat on the ground, clear plastic lab coat providing a nice barrier between his bottom half and the dirt. Was it necessary? Nope, however, it was a nice thought.</p><p> </p><p>Starting up the tablet that Kihyun had built for him; his heart ached for the elder. This whole dead but not really dead thing was getting to him more and more. Sighing in disappointment, he laid the device on his lap and put his face in his hands. His thoughts began wandering to the elder once more as the memories came back.</p><p> </p><p>He hated days like this, days where he questioned what the hell he was even doing, or if any of this was even worth it. It makes loneliness heavier, more tangible.</p><p> </p><p>Hearing an odd sound, Changkyun looked to the sky watching as a spaceship passed him by. A part of him hoped it was Kihyun but the better part of him knew he was most likely never going to see the elder again.</p><p> </p><p>No one outside of a small circle knew he was here anyway. Lost in space, just like the reports had said.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yayy first chapter is here, i hope you guys enjoyed it!</p><p>ch2: oct 23</p><p>twt: whoami_mp3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i know it's not officially fall yet but 2020 isn't real so after promptly calling my best friend old since it's her birthday i decided to upload this cause time isn't real</p><p>ch1: sept 23</p><p>twt: whoami_mp3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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